The Incredibly Boring Life of Amanda Anderson
by Sarae64
Summary: Continuum scene addition: A snap shot of the life Sam lived during the year in the alternate timeline of Continuum. Sam/Jack, Romance/Sci-Fi, Complete
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Incredibly Boring Life of Amanda Anderson  
Author: Sarae  
Status: Complete  
Category: Romance  
Pairings: Sam/Jack  
Spoilers: Stargate Continuum  
Summary: Continuum scene addition: A snap shot of the life Sam lived during the year in the alternate timeline of Continuum.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or settings, but occasionally, they provide a wonderful escape for me. So, thank you to those who have had a hand in creating them. No infringement is intended.  
Author Note: I'm not sure what to say about this one. It just sort of rolled out of watching Continuum, seeing pics of Amanda and Rick at the Continuum premiere, seeing the adorable ComicCon photo and wondering what Sam would do with a relatively average, boring life. Special thanks to Audrey for her awesome Beta reading, encouragement and instruction...and to Rosemary for undying encouragement and prompting to write and post. I love you both.

The Incredibly Boring Life of Amanda Anderson

© 2008 Sarae

Even as she walked through the concourse at DIA, she expected to see someone waiting to arrest her. So, it wasn't until she actually pulled out of the rental car lot that she started to relax. The moments of relaxation were short-lived because by the time she entered the on-ramp to I-25 South, the wary apprehension had given way to nervous anticipation.

For over nine months, she'd followed their rules and lived the quiet, banal, mundane life they'd created for her. They'd dumped her in a VERY small town nestled in the mountains of northern Idaho, a town with less total population than the number of those who worked at her SGC. And she'd made the best of it, she really had.

Though stripped of everything familiar and purposeful, Amanda Anderson was similar to Samantha Carter in many ways. Initially, she'd experienced some unwanted attention. Even in this rural setting, this reality's Samantha Carter had been very recognizable. So for the first few weeks, she'd had to endure the curious stare or occasional, "Has anyone ever told you, you look like…"

To combat boredom and to try and distract herself from dwelling on all that she'd lost, she'd spent the better part of the first six months working almost constantly. Except for some high school sporting events, second-run movies at the local two-screen cinema and the occasional production of a small melodrama theater company, there was very little to do in the sleepy little valley where she now lived.

So, as a systems analyst for the school district, she'd devoted herself to writing programs to make maintenance and technology help-desk requests and work order tracking as efficient as possible. She'd redesigned the communication and collaboration programs with open source programming and operating systems. And when she ran out of things to do after six months, she got _really_ bored.

Fighting the depression that ensued when she allowed herself to think about what she'd lost, had been a constant battle. The winters in her new home town were cold and long. Exploring the area on skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles provided some distraction, but really it left too much time for _dwelling_.

Her daily duties had become far less than challenging. With the improvements she'd made to the technology infrastructure and software, her duties took very little time out of her day. So, to keep herself busy, she'd begun researching…a topic she hoped would not raise a red flag with whoever was _watching_.

Unfortunately, after the first day, she'd been hooked. In fact, after that first day she'd become obsessed. While this reality's Jack O'Neill still had his son, Tyler, he'd lost his wife several years ago. According to the information she gathered, he had never remarried. It hadn't been easy and she'd had to take it very slow, but knowing just about everything there was to know about her reality's Jack O'Neill had helped her covertly uncover information about this reality's Jack O'Neill.

She was surprised to find that he still lived in Colorado Springs and in the same residence in this reality that SG-1 had visited so many times in her reality. But what surprised her more was that he'd retired shortly after their incident in the Arctic. From what she pieced together, this past 

school year had been Tyler's senior year. He had just graduated and had received a scholarship to play basketball at Washington State University, which, in some bizarre twist of fate, was not that far from where she'd been dumped.

In her current occupation, she worked only 11 months of the year. She was currently on her month off and had informed her colleagues she would be traveling. It was true.

The drive from Denver to Colorado Springs had been slow and tedious. At least that's the way it felt. The thing was, she really had no idea what she was going to do when she got near his house. She just felt excited for the first time in months at the thought that she might get a glimpse of him, and even more excited that she might get to see him with his son.

She was being careful, using only cash, but knowing they could trace her rental in a heartbeat. Truth be told, she wasn't intending to break any of their rules. She wasn't contacting Cam or Daniel. She wasn't trying to alter this reality in any way. She wasn't planning to give away any secrets that would jeopardize _national security_. She just wanted to see _him_, even if it wasn't really _him_.

Her _him_ was dead, though she couldn't allow herself to think about that for very long. She knew what she was planning bordered the fine line between sanity and psychosis, but everything about her life felt crazy and surreal. It was getting to the point where she just wanted to _choose_ how she went insane.

She really hadn't come up with a plan for what she would do after she saw him…or what she would do if he found her _stalking_ him. She knew him well enough to know that she would have a heck of a time getting a glimpse without alerting him to her presence and she wasn't entirely sure if a glimpse would be enough.

A quick drive through reassured her that his neighborhood was identical to her reality. It was amazing the effect of being in a familiar setting had on her. If it was possible to feel calm and excited at the same time, that was how she felt.


	2. Chapter 2

She pulled into the parking lot of a cafe she knew her Jack had frequented and tried to formulate a plan. Where should she stay? Where should she setup her stakeout? Was he even in town?

The Springs Café was a place which catered to locals. It had a fairly regular clientele and the staff knew most customers by name. It wasn't uncommon for patrons of this hole-in-the-wall eatery to visit more than once a day, though her Jack visited most often at dinner time…and for the occasional Sunday breakfast.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of a vehicle passing behind her. A quick look in the rear-view mirror caused her breath to catch on its way out. "Same truck," she thought and slid down in the seat a bit. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains and she hoped he hadn't noticed her before she'd noticed him.

It took some effort to not turn and watch as he exited the truck. She knew he'd have to pass behind her car to get to the restaurant, but waiting for that fleeting moment seemed like an eternity. Then it happened. She adjusted her position slightly and was rewarded with a clear view of this reality's Jack O'Neill walking with a slightly taller and extremely handsome young man. "That must be Char…Tyler!" She corrected herself. It was just another reminder that this was not her reality.

Tyler was dressed in basketball shorts hanging low on his hips and a zippered hoody. Jack was wearing jeans and an icy blue colored, short-sleeved, button-down, collared shirt. She watched through the rear-view mirror until she could no longer see them at any angle and then chanced a turn of her head to catch one last glimpse as they walked through the restaurant door.

It was not until they'd disappeared into the restaurant that she realized how fast and hard her heart was beating. She took several deep breaths in an effort to slow it down. She needed it to stop pounding in her ears if she was going to be able to think.

Wow! It was really all she could think…for several moments. Then she made a decision to do some shopping and find accommodations in the area. As much as she wanted to enter the restaurant and find a table with a view of their table…so NOT a good idea.

When she left the motel the next morning, it was as a brunette. Though, she'd been able to easily sidestep the whole dead hero look-a-like issue in small-town Idaho, this was an Air Force town and heroic astronauts were not so easily forgotten. She knew the minute she walked into the nearby Walmart that ignoring the questioning glances would not be enough to divert unwanted attention. Thus when she checked-in at the motel, she was wearing glasses and her hair was tucked under a hat. She didn't want the clerks comparing notes on how a blond had entered and a brunette had exited. To her relief, neither the person behind the desk at check-in last night, nor the person behind the desk this morning had given her a second glance.

She was still mapping out the route in her mind as she began jogging that morning, when she saw them round the corner in front of her. Years of training helped her subdue the panic she felt knowing there was no place she could escape to without drawing more attention. They were jogging easily together, side by side and exchanging…well, she couldn't hear it, but she could see the smiles and chuckles pass between them. She hoped it would be enough of a distraction for her to pass unnoticed.

She'd almost made it too, but she saw the flash of recognition in his eyes just as she averted hers and continued past them in the opposite direction. "Hey!" she heard him call after her, but she ignored it and continued to run, forcing herself to not speed up. She listened intently for any indication that he was now following, but all she caught was a faint, "What, Dad? Who was that?" Which was followed by, "Nah, never mind. Just an old guy's mind playing tricks."

She didn't dare to look back until after she'd turned the corner ahead and had ducked behind a building. She struggled to catch her breath as a wave of relief and oddly enough, disappointment, washed over her. This was crazy. What was she hoping to accomplish? Had she really been reduced to stalking a man she didn't really even know?

She continued her run that morning, needing it more than usual. Physical exertion served to clear her head and she hadn't been getting enough of it lately. An hour later, she'd returned to her room and showered. After dressing and snagging a bit of breakfast, she looked at her watch and felt her mood go south as she realized it was still only 8am. What the hell was she going to do for the rest of the day?

She fully planned to be ensconced at the bar of the café a good thirty minutes before she anticipated the arrival of the O'Neills. It was the logical place for a single person to dine without looking out of place. It would also provide her with a view of the majority of the tables. She would do this for as many days as it took for them to return to the café, but that left a lot of time to kill.

Not for the first time she wondered what Cam and Daniel were doing. The urge to try and find them had come with strength and frequency. She'd fought it every time. It was exhausting, really. She hoped Cam had found someone on whom to lavish his seemingly boundless energy and attention. He was an amazing man and if her heart had not already been taken, she could easily have fallen for him herself.

Then there was Daniel. How as he coping with his latest loss? She knew he was more resilient than most, but everyone has a breaking point. She just hoped he hadn't reached his. She also wondered if he started to notice the effects of entropic cascade failure. Of the three, he was the only one who's _other_ co-existed in this reality.

Thoughts of her former brothers-in-arms brought a familiar ache to her chest. She felt it frequently since beginning her new life. It was not how she wanted to spend her vacation. She had to get out and do something or she was going to go mad.

She decided to just start driving and see where her interest took her. Though she'd lived in _her_ Colorado Springs for over a decade, she'd rarely had time to see most of the area. It wasn't a great plan, but it would serve to pass the time…and she was used to spending time alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam did arrive at the café and found a seat at the bar/counter before Jack and Tyler arrived. She hadn't yet received her order when they sauntered over to what was apparently their regular table. Sam couldn't help smiling as she saw the casual banter she knew was taking place between Jack and their waitress. Even though his back was facing her, she could just picture the look on his face as she watched the waitress chuckle and interact. Tyler's grin was not unlike his father's, but he had yet to learn how to hide the embarrassment his father's comments could elicit.

She picked at her food as she tried not to stare at the handsome duo. She, of course, was not nearly finished with her dinner when she decided it was time to go. Tyler had noticed. He was smiling and pointing in her direction right now. Or he had been before she'd started moving toward the cashier's station. Her heart was pounding rapidly again. Where was that cashier?!

She knew they were behind her without looking. Oh sure, _now_ the cashier comes. She paid for her dinner without turning around and tried to slip out. Her plans were thwarted when Tyler stepped in front of her just before she reached the door.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I couldn't help noticing you watching as we ate," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said. She tried to think of something else to say but was interrupted.

"Oh, don't be," he said and grinned. "Tyler O'Neill," he said and offered his hand for shaking.

"Uh…Amanda Anderson," she said as she shook his hand. What is he up to?

"Yes, my father is single and no, I won't be hanging around much longer." She had difficulty suppressing a chuckle and she got the feeling he wanted to say more, but she heard Jack's growled, under-his-breath admonishment as he approached from behind.

By way of introduction, Tyler gestured first toward his father, then toward her while saying, "Jack O'Neill…Amanda Anderson."

Sam waited as long as she dared before turning to face him. She saw the flash of recognition in his eyes immediately, but was impressed by how quickly he covered. Obviously, he didn't want to get into this with Tyler present. She felt herself smiling in spite of the situation and reached out to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"You'll have to excuse my overly exuberant offspring," he said. "He's headed off to school soon and trying to make sure the old man won't be lonely." The glare he gave Tyler would have stopped one of his men dead in their tracks.

"Don't apologize," she said. She started to say more, but then thought better of it. An awkward silence fell over the trio and it was with some effort that she tore her eyes away from his. "Well, it was nice to meet you," she said as she reached out to shake his hand again.

She turned and this time Tyler did not impede her progress toward the door. Then her heart leapt into her throat as she heard Tyler remark, "You know, Dad…she reminds me of Sam."

Sam? Had they known Samantha Carter, hero astronaut? If so, her research had not revealed that. But who else could he be referring to? There couldn't possibly be a third Sam Carter in this reality.

She moved to her car as quickly as possible without actually breaking into a jog. She knew he'd be watching, would get the license number, might even follow her. Where was she going to go to throw him off the trail? And did she want to?

She kept looking in the rear-view mirror as she drove down the street, not sure if she was hoping he would follow or afraid he would follow. She didn't have to worry about it. She never saw his truck in the mirror. So, she went straight to her room and collapsed on the bed. The minor adrenalin surge she'd felt when she left the café had completely drained away.

When her stomach started growling, she cursed herself again for being so stupid at the café. Deciding she really needed something to quiet her stomach if she had any hope of getting sleep that night, she walked toward the door and opened it, intending to go find some food. But she was stopped dead in her tracks as she nearly ran into Jack O'Neill standing just outside.

"Why are you here?" he asked and she could hear the controlled anger in his tone.

"I, wuh, uh…" she stammered. Form a sentence, Carter! "I don't know…really." Yep, that's good.

"Where are you going?" he asked and she noticed that both his expression and his voice had softened.

"To find some food," she said and gave him a sheepish grin.

He looked at her with his patented scrutinizing glare. "I know a place," he said.


	4. Chapter 4

She wasn't surprised when he parked his truck on Cimarron Street. She had a feeling he was taking her to the Kopper Keg. It was a hole in the wall tavern that SG-1 had frequented when needing to decompress after a difficult mission. There were plenty of darkened tables, no wait staff to interrupt and plenty of ambient sound to mask a conversation.

"It's right up here," he said as he gestured toward the non-distinct door.

"Kopper Keg?" she asked and smiled when she saw his reaction.

"Yeah…" he said. "I take it there's one in your reality too?"

"Yeah," she replied.

Once inside, he escorted her to a table and asked if she'd like anything to drink. A few minutes later he was back with two bottles of Guinness. She took a drink from the bottle he handed her and closed her eyes. For the first time in months, she was in a familiar surrounding with a familiar person and if she closed her eyes long enough, she hoped find the rest had all been a very bad dream.

"You okay?" he asked.

She opened her eyes. So much for the bad dream idea. She sighed.

"Yeah," she replied. "I was just sort of hoping…I mean being here is so…" She couldn't find the words and she figured he wasn't really interested anyway.

"Amanda Anderson, eh?" he asked.

She nodded. "I didn't choose it."

"No?"

"No. I didn't choose any of it."

Silence. He squinted at her and she could see he was thinking. She just didn't know what he was thinking.

"Brunette works for you," he said.

She felt her cheeks warm in a blush. "Well, it keeps the curious stares to a minimum."

"I'll bet," he said.

Silence again. This was more awkward than she'd imagined. Had she imagined this? Or had she imagined talking with _her_ Jack?

"Your son is…" She felt a lump form in her throat and she struggled to swallow it. "You should be very proud. His name is Tyler?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I wanted to name him Charlie after my buddy…"

"Kawalsky," she said, nodding and interrupting.

He stopped and gave her that scrutinizing glare again. "Yes, well…Sarah was having none of that. So, Tyler he is."

"And Sarah is…" Sam asked not wanting to let on that she'd already learned more about him than was probably healthy.

"Dead." She saw his face contort slightly. She knew he was working hard to keep his expression neutral. She'd seen it before and most people would not have noticed.

"I'm so sorry," she said genuinely.

"Happened a long time ago," he said and took another swig from his bottle.

She nodded. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it.

"Did you know…" Sam said and paused. It just sounded so weird to talk about her _other_. "Sam?"

Jack sat back and blew out a deep breath. His eyes narrowed again and she could tell he was contemplating the wisdom of continuing with this topic.

"You must be going nuts," he finally said. "I suppose they've barred you from contact with the other two? And from working in your field of expertise?"

She nodded and felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She hadn't expected this kind of insight and understanding from him. Though, she was curious about his evasion of her question.

"You have no idea," she replied quietly.

"Is that why you're here?" he asked and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, still watching her with that steely-eyed, calculating expression she seen _him_ use on so many others.

"Partly, I suppose," she agreed.

"Because you needed to talk to…_him_?" Her eyes widened. Had she been that transparent? Surely this Jack had read the interviews and knew she served with General Jack O'Neill for over a decade. Was that what he meant by talking? Did he think she needed advice? Counsel?

"Because I hoped you weren't someone I had to avoid. I can't cause any problems by talking to you. You already know. You're retired." Oops…his expression told her she'd let that one slip. She continued on trying to ignore her mistake and hoping he would too. "You have no information to share with me so there can be no threat to national security."

"I see," he said. "So, that's it. I'm familiar…and safe?"

She shrugged. What did he want? Was he expecting some declaration of undying love?

"Because I get the distinct impression that you and _he_…" Why did he always pause when he said _he_ or _him_?

"What?" she asked. She fought to not sound defensive. She knew he'd use that.

"Well…when I introduced myself on the glacier…I got the impression that…your whole damn face lit up when I said my name."

Oh. She had been that transparent. At least at that moment.

"We served together for more than a decade and I'd just seen him die," she said. She couldn't bring herself to look up at him because the tears were threatening again.

"So you two never…" He paused and she had to look up. He gestured with his finger and she knew what he was asking.

"No," she said quietly.

"Really?" He didn't sound convinced.

"Only because he never…he wouldn't. We couldn't."

"Because he was your CO?"

"Yes."

"Wow." He seemed impressed. "I don't know if I could have…" His voice trailed off.

"You did know Sam, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied and his tone was much quieter. She saw the controlled…what? Anger? Sorrow?

"And you two…" Sam made the same gesture he'd made to her.

"Yes."

Whoa! She really hadn't seen that coming. It made sense in an odd way. After all, it wasn't the first time SG-1 had encountered alternate reality versions of Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill. Both times they'd been married.

The flood gates opened after those admissions and they relayed stories from their reality to the other. Sam learned their realities were very similar with subtle changes like gentle ripples on a pond that resulted in huge consequences for Cam, Daniel and her. This reality's Jack O'Neill had first encountered this reality's Samantha Carter when she was still a Captain…that sounded familiar. But it wasn't a super-secret interstellar gateway that brought the two together, it was a covert mission to the middle east. Both pilots, she had flown in his squadron. He'd noticed her right away. Looks aside (and they were tough to put aside), she was a gifted pilot and she wasn't the least bit intimidated by her elder lt. colonel.

The loss of his wife was still too fresh at that time and she'd moved on, always making headway toward NASA. Several years later, they'd met again at the Academy while he was doing a stint as a professor in covert battle tactics and she was doing the same in the astrophysics department. By then, he was a full-bird colonel and she was lt. colonel, Tyler was in middle school and Jack was hanging around Colorado Springs as much as the Air Force would allow.

It started with a friendly dinner out. Then it was barbecues in the back yard, where Tyler and Sam bonded over football passes and ratball games in the driveway. She was never there for more than a semester at a time. Then it would be back to Houston for training, mission planning, etc. By the time she arrived for her third semester, things started heating up between them.

He admitted that seeing her in the Arctic had been the last straw for him. He'd managed to move past losing both Sarah and Sam, but running into her had opened wounds he found truly hadn't healed. Again, she wondered at the wisdom of her quest. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted. But maybe, it would be a good thing in the long run. It was very early in the morning when Jack finally dropped Sam off at her motel room.


	5. Chapter 5

A knock on the door roused her from sleep. She heard a second knock before her mind registered where she was. She tried to focus on the bedside clock and was disturbed to see that it was already 11:00 am.

Her head was pounding. Her whole body ached. What the hell? She only drank two beers before switching to water the night before. She couldn't be hung over.

"Coming," she yelled. Ow! Bad idea. Her hand flew to her forehead as she tried to stand.

She imagined she was quite a sight, but she felt so crappy at that moment, she didn't care. She just wanted the knocking to stop. She discovered it wasn't just her head that ached as she moved gingerly toward the door.

Her hand flew to cover her eyes as the intruding sunlight which surrounded her visitor assaulted her eyes. She hadn't thought it was possible for her head to hurt more, but she'd been wrong.

"Don't take this personally, but you look like crap!" Though her eyes had not focused long enough to tell her brain who was at the door, the sound of his voice did.

Oh joy! Her stomach chose that moment to rebel at her efforts to let him in. Her hand slid from her eyes to cover her mouth and the other held up an index finger just before she limped with as much haste as she could muster toward the bathroom.

She made it to the toilet, but just barely. Retching was one of her least favorite activities. Retching combined with a pounding headache was even less fun. Not to mention stiff joints and aching muscles.

She had no idea how long she'd made him wait before she emerged from the bathroom. She'd taken the time to rinse and brush her teeth as well as pull her hair into a pony tail. This was _so_ not good.

She made her way out of the bathroom and smiled sheepishly when she saw his brow furrowed in that concerned look she was so familiar with from _her_ Jack. "I'm so sorry," she said and she was surprised at how weak she sounded.

"Hey, I'm not the one losing my lunch and looking like I dodged a herd of elephants," he replied.

She smiled and made her way toward the bed. Then she turned and sat for a moment before flopping back on the bed. She was feeling dizzy and uncomfortably warm. Her eyes were closed, but she sensed him move closer to the bed. Still, she was a bit startled when he leaned over and gently touched her forehead.

"We need to get you to a doctor," he said.

Her eyes flew open and she struggled to sit up. "No!" she said with more fervor than she should have. She moaned again and lay back on the bed. "I can't go to a doctor," she said softly.

"Why?" he asked. His brow furrowed in puzzlement. "You're running a fever. This is not a hangover."

"No doctors," she reiterated. "I have…something in my blood that would draw attention. Raise questions. Not good."

"What?" he asked. "Is that why you're sick?"

"No," she said. "I don't think so. It's not dangerous…just…foreign."

"Foreign," he repeated. "As in…alien?"

She didn't answer. Her head was really pounding now and she didn't want to argue. If necessary she would fight him on the doctor thing, but she hoped she wouldn't have to.

After a few moments, she heard him moving about the room. She forced herself to turn her head and peer through eyelids opened in a mere slit. He was gathering her things. What was he thinking? Sam closed her eyes again and heard Jack move into the small bathroom and gather what she'd left in there.

A few moments later, she felt his hand on her forehead again. Her lids fluttered open and she smiled trying to alleviate his obvious concern. The look she saw on her face told her the smile was not working.

"Come on," Jack said as he slid his arm under her shoulders and slowly pulled her up to a sitting position. "Let's get you out of here."

"No doctors," she pleaded weakly.

"No doctors," he agreed. "But I'm not gonna leave you here alone. And I'm not gonna hang out in this…place. You can stay at my place until you're better."

"What about Tyler?" she asked as he guided her arm into the sleeve of a lightweight hooded sweatshirt.

"He's back at work. Won't be home for another two weeks."

"The car…" She said as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her gently to her feet. Her head flopped onto his shoulder and he guided her toward the door.

"I'll take care of it," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

After two days of fever, chills, nausea and the inability to keep anything down, including water, she sensed Jack was ready to throw caution to the wind and take her to a doctor. When a rash appeared on her arms and torso, she knew his limit had been reached. With what little energy she had left, she protested and she thought he'd listened.

She was right and wrong. He stopped trying to take her to a doctor and instead, got a doctor to come to her. Sam did her best to keep her surprise hidden when Jack led Dr. Janet Fraiser into his guest room. Janet was not as good at hiding her surprise. The wide-eyed expression and then quick look back at Jack told Sam that this Janet recognized her despite the change of hair color, pallid complexion and intermittent shivers.

"Dr. Fraiser," Jack said. "This is Amanda Anderson. She's visiting from up north." Sam continued to look at Janet. It had been a very long time since she'd last seen _her_ Janet. She felt at once comforted and apprehensive. "Amanda, this is Dr. Fraiser. She's the best and she came as a favor to me."

"Thank you," Sam said. She spoke in a volume just above a whisper and forced herself to try and relax. She was finding it far more difficult than usual.

"How long have you had these symptoms?" Janet asked this of Sam, but it was Jack who answered.

"The fever and nausea started more than two days ago," he said.

Janet looked at Jack and then back to Sam. "Do you have pain?"

Sam nodded and then winced. "My whole body aches."

"For two days as well?"

"Yes," Sam answered.

"What about this rash?" Janet asked and lifted Sam's arm to get a better look at the extent of the rash.

"That just appeared yesterday," Jack said.

"Amanda," Janet said, "have you been out in the woods or around trees or shrubs?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

Janet began to palpate Sam's scalp beginning at the base of her skull and moving toward the crown. Just a few inches up, she stopped and explored with her fingers in greater detail. Then she gently turned Sam's head to the side and separated her hair to get a better look at the scalp.

"I think we've found the culprit," Janet said.

Sam could sense Jack moving closer to look at whatever it was Janet had found.

"That a tick?" Jack asked.

"It is," Janet said. "Now, hold still for a moment and we'll remove this pesky little critter.

"That tick caused all this?" Jack asked and Sam could hear the incredulous tone in his voice.

"This," Janet explained, "is called Rocky Mountain spotted fever."

"Yeah," Jack said, "I've heard of that."

Janet turned back to Sam and said, "While your symptoms seem a bit more severe than average, there have been worse cases. You should be feeling better tomorrow." Her voice trailed off as she retrieved the small foreceps from her bag and turned back toward Sam's head. Janet gently pulled the tick from Sam's scalp and held it up for Jack to see.

"I'll be damned," he said as he looked at the now purple blob with wriggling legs pinched in Janet's foreceps. "Wonder where she got that?"

"Well, it hasn't been a real hot summer. Could have picked it up near any tree. Got a match?" she asked.

When the offending arachnid had been killed and disposed of, Sam felt a wave of relief that was quickly supplanted by a renewed, if subdued anxiety when Janet said, "You could relapse again in a few days. So, take it easy and if your symptoms return, be assured they won't last long."

"Great," Sam said through clenched teeth. She was burying herself back under the covers as another wave of chills came over her.

"Let me give you a shot of compazine to help with your nausea. Then, perhaps you can take some Tylenol and drink some fluids."

Sam nodded as Janet turned back to the bag of goodies she'd brought. After the anti-emetic had been injected, Janet gathered her things and stood up. "That should have you feeling better very soon," she said.

Sam closed her eyes. She was so tired. "Thank you, Janet," she said as she tried to get comfortable enough to sleep.

"I'll see Dr. Fraiser out and be back with some Tylenol and water," Jack said.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam was dozing but not sleeping when Jack returned. She felt the bed dip under his weight as he gently sat on the bed next to where she lay. Then she felt his fingers sweep across her forehead, brushing her bangs back.

"Can you sit for a moment and take this Tylenol?" he asked.

She nodded and pushed herself into a semi-sitting position.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" she asked.

"You knew Dr. Janet Fraiser too." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes." She confirmed his assumption. Sam wanted to say more, to tell him how great a friend Janet had been, how hard it had been when she died…but those thoughts did not traverse the synapses from her brain to her mouth.

"Old Doc Fraiser had questions even before you called her Janet. So, no harm done. I told her you weren't Sam and I couldn't say any more without getting you in some serious trouble. I'm not sure she believed me, but she knows me well enough to know when to stop pressing the issue."

She nodded. Not so different from _her_ Janet…just as _this_ Jack was not so different from _her_ Jack.

Sam slept most of the remainder of that day and the next. Her fever broke and she finally found comfort from the aches that had plagued her for more than three days. When she woke, she was hungry, thirsty and ready for a nice long shower. She didn't know how he'd done it, but her rental was in his driveway and he'd checked her out of the motel completely.

A few days later, she did have a slight relapse, but her symptoms were not as severe and they didn't last more than 24 hours. Sam stayed on for a few more days but felt compelled to be gone by the time Tyler returned for his last bit of time before heading off to school.

The time she spent with Jack was comfortable, exhilarating and pleasant…even a bit familiar. It went by far too quickly. They visited many of the places she'd intended to explore in her reality, but never managed to find the time to see.

When the time came for Sam to depart, she was reluctant to say the least. She knew it was the right thing to do, the best thing for both of them, but it was…indescribably difficult. Every fiber of her being was resisting.

She had a feeling he shared her reluctance. As she was standing near the front door of the rental car, he was standing a short distance away, looking down at his feet, absent-mindedly kicking at a few stray pieces of pea gravel. Apparently, he didn't know what to say. Sam really didn't want to say good bye. Maybe he didn't either?

In an uncharacteristically impulsive move, she reached out and took his face in her hands. Then she coaxed his face upward and moved in for a kiss. She was terrified and prayed he wouldn't push her away, but she couldn't help herself. She needed at least this kiss.

Unbidden memories flooded her mind as her lips melded with his…and Jack didn't pull away. But this kiss was not the heated, violent crush of a virus-influenced, primal mating instinct. This was a last chance, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take back a moment she'd lost, to create a memory she'd longed for and had let slip through her fingers.

Yearning, desperation, acute longing. She clung to him as she felt his comforting arms envelop her and his delectable lips melted into hers. This kiss was intoxicating and if she did not stop soon, she might never.

She had to go. She was lucky no one had come looking for her. Getting Jack into trouble was the last thing she wanted to do. And, deep down in the recesses of her heart, Sam knew the love she longed to pour out was not for this surrogate.

Leaving was the hardest thing she'd ever done. It felt…horrible…like losing Jack all over again. The regret, the pain, the loneliness seeping its way deep into her soul again.

Sam could not let the hollow hopelessness overwhelm her. So, by the time she'd reached DIA, the mask of cold determination was firmly in place. By the time she walked through the door to her generous government-provided keep, she was numb.

_Amanda_ returned to work on the contracted date. Day after day, she politely conversed, managed to smile appropriately. She would to serve her indeterminate sentence with dignity and professionalism. Sam was well practiced at denying her desires and doing her duty.


	8. Chapter 8

September 5th was a date she would not soon forget. Or so Sam thought. _Amanda_ had been sitting at her desk, running through her weekly routine of reorganizing and backing up student information system files. Everyone else in the district usually found a way to sneak away early on Fridays, but _Amanda_ had a duty that kept her hanging around longer than most.

She was extremely grateful she'd been forced to hang around this day. _Amanda_ was just pulling her flash drive out of the USB port when she heard a knock on the lone window of the IT complex. She looked up and in an instant, her annoyance turned to shock. Her heart skipped a beat as recognition dawned on her numbed brain.

There he was, hands cupped over his brow, peering in through the window. How had he found her? Why was he here?

Sam didn't really care. Her heart made up for the skipped beat...and then some. It was beating hard and fast; she could hear it in her ears and it was deafening. Then, he knocked on the window and she snapped out of her euphoric daze.

In seconds, she was at the entrance, opening the door and staring like an awe-struck fan-girl at this reality's Jack O'Neill. This time it was he that quickly crossed the distance between them and planted a soul searing kiss on her as his momentum moved her back into the building and the door clanged shut behind him.

Color had returned to her world. Her senses were alive and in overdrive. They'd continued their backward promenade until she was impeded by the corridor wall. Her fingers were enjoying their stroll through his soft, short silver locks and her mouth and body were responding in ways she'd long since forgotten. She was thankful he had the good sense to pull back before she lost it all together.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she tried to return her respirations to a resting rate.

"Dropped Tyler off in Pullman, got him settled," Jack responded. "Thought I'd saunter on up north before I head back."

"Yeah?" she asked. The twinkle she saw in his penetrating gaze sent a chill down her spine.

"There's this geeky…" He stood back and held her hands at arm's length. He cocked his head to the side and peered at her through squinted eyes. "…blond system's analyst I wanted to see."

"Geeky?" she said, feigning annoyance. "Who's geeky?"

She didn't think either of them could grin wider if they tried. Her weekend suddenly promised to be a cathartic retreat from the cold, gray, emotionless atmosphere in which she revolved. At least that's what she hoped.

Before long, she'd buttoned things down at the office and was leading him to her little abode. Sam parked her car in the driveway and then joined him in his rental. They'd decided on dinner and a movie in the neighboring metropolis of Spokane.


	9. Epilogue

He was using the restroom as she took their shopping bags out and began placing them in the trunk of the car. That's when the Alkesh made its appearance. And that's when she knew her weekend plans were dramatically changed for the second time in as many hours.

In seconds, she'd retrieved her cell and dialed the emergency contact they'd given her…old habits die hard. Even after a year's absence, the adrenaline rush she felt was familiar. Her brain kicked in and began running through scenarios, outcomes, possibilities.

She could see the apprehension on his face, the realization that all she, Cam and Daniel had predicted that first day on the USS Alexandria was coming true. Speaking with Daniel on the phone felt surreal. Sam tried to convey all of the necessary information to her long missed colleague without raising the anxiety level of her new-found companion. She could feel the tension buzzing through him as they traversed the highway toward the base where she'd been instructed to meet her transportation to Washington, DC. Sam could imagine his desire to join the fray, to protect his world, his universe, his reality.

So, when he waved to her one last time on the runway at Fairchild AFB, Sam was overcome with conflicting emotions. Of course, she wanted to correct what Ba'al had done and return to her timeline before people started disappearing into thin air. But if that wasn't possible, for the first time, she felt she could live in this timeline…and be happy. Surely, they'd let this relationship continue if she and her colleagues were able to stop the invasion she knew was coming.

Sam wanted little more than for _this_ Jack to live a long life, to someday enjoy holding his grandchildren and for him to be happy in whatever the future held for him. When they urged her to take a seat as they began closing the door, she could not tear her eyes away from his. And she knew he got it. She knew he understood all that she was trying to say as he backed away from the jet engines that were firing up.

As one of the tears she'd been fighting to hold back drizzled down her cheek, she couldn't decide if she was ecstatic at the thought of seeing Cameron and Daniel and returning to the fight she'd given her former life to, or if she was mourning the possibility of a life she'd previously convinced herself would never happen, could never happen.

When the continuum reset itself, she was neither. Ba'al was extracted. General O'Neill invited SG-1 to lunch and the fate of one retired colonel, his son and the reality they inhabited was forgotten.

The End


End file.
